Councillor Dan Wilson - Exmouth Halsdon Ward

07/08/2026

This is absolute music to my ears.

Obviously, it isn’t good news to hear about crime and ASB but this kind of police presence is what we have being crying out for.

Exmouth Police are overworked and under resourced but they have listened to the concerns of traders and have acted and I am grateful to hear of this effort and progress.

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, there’s more work to be done in supporting the police and that has to come from the councils, the local businesses and the community. When we work together we can achieve great things, very quickly. More progress to come.

Have a great weekend everyone.

07/08/2026

I feel like I have more pictures taken with Inspector Mat Helm than with my wife and kids.

A superb Exmouth Business Safety Partnership Meeting last night. A huge thank you to all the businesses that came along to hear what Mat, Sam, Jordan and Emily had to say. Some robust questions, some difficult experiences to hear but an evening of important communication between police, traders and council.

Many action points to work on, this is just the start of the work to solve our issues with ASB and shoplifting.

I’m grateful for the police officers for giving up their time, as well as traders and councillors. We have real momentum now.

06/08/2026

🚨 Exmouth Businesses 🚨

This evening at 6pm at the Town Council, there will be an Exmouth Business Safety Partnership Meeting where anyone who owns, runs or works at a local business can come and hear Exmouth Police’s plans to tackle the high level of anti social behaviour and shoplifting we are experiencing in town.

It is also an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and discuss what we can all do to help the police prevent these crimes.

Enterance through the side door of the Town Council, via the car park. Hope to see you there.

Cllr Dan Wilson

31/07/2026

Two and a half hours is a very long time to spend in my company but I’m very grateful to Mat and his team for meeting me this morning.

Mat and his team are impressive and I have every confidence in them. They listened to the concerns of the town and they’re going to act on them. It is now for councillors, councils, local businesses and the public to support them in their endeavours to fight crime in our town centre.

My commitment to local businesses was that we will see action and my commitment to the police is that I will do all I can to help them deliver.

In the last two days, I have met councillors from Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth about how the police can work better with businesses to address retail crime and retail-directed anti-social behaviour in its various forms.
Today myself and the team met Cllr Dan Wilson who represents Exmouth, to discuss the open letter he put out recently signed by Exmouth town centre traders. Undoubtedly we have work to do to rekindle past relationships with traders and I am hoping our new cadre of PCSO's will be at the visible end of that. We discussed other options as well including understanding each others' challenges, and it must be said, successes. Exmouth policing activity this year has made the town a much much safer place. That does not mean that other issues do not go on by any means and it also does not mean that it matches the expectations that some may have.
The Exmouth Neighbourhood Policing Team is not a huge team but we are supported by our colleagues in the special constabulary (out on foot patrolling the town centre yesterday evening) as well as our Exmouth Patrol team.
As a starter for ten, like all businesses, we work on intelligence. If a retailers' POS system says they don't sell tomato juice (understandably!), they wont restock tomato juice. Likewise, if our system is telling us that no crime or ASB is happening, we wont tackle it - we direct our resources where they are 'needed'. We have to understand that picture. I would kindly ask that if you have an issue, that you report it. We track patterns and problems. Then we seek to resolve them. Even if you think its a 'waste of time' or 'the police did nothing', that report contributes to how we target our work.
We will be working with Cllr Wilson to review, develop and implement a long term sustainable plan around this that is beneficial to the trader community.

I just must point out that in policing terms, 'Exmouth' means Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Woodbury, Clyst St Mary, Colyton Raleigh, etc. We are always 'somewhere' in that area tackling any raised issues. We just cant be 'everywhere' or even just in the town centre, and that is why reporting is so important.

Watch this space....

22/07/2026

I feel like we are hurtling towards something terrible happening here. Please warn your children about the dangers of jumping in to the water at the Marina.

My understanding is that this area of the Marina is owned by the guys who own Greendale. I believe Exmouth Police have asked them to increase measures to prevent kids jumping in.

David Reed MP aren’t the Greendale owners Conservative Party supporters? Could you use your influence on this?

11/07/2026

What a joke this article is. To say “antisocial behaviour won’t be tolerated” could not be further from the truth.

Antisocial behaviour is actively encouraged by the police because there are no consequences for criminal behaviour. The police have abandoned our town centre.

The Commissioner says reports of antisocial behaviour have declined by 10% but that is because people have stopped reporting crimes. It would do you as much good to shout your concerns from the top of Orcombe Point, as it would reporting them to the police.

The Commissioner set up a Councillor Advocate Scheme. This was so councillors could become “the eyes and ears” for her and report the problems we see. Having written to her with my concerns, she hasn’t responded but she commented to Devon Live that she urges councillors to join the Councillor Advocate Scheme!?! Her response to me telling her my concerns is that I join a scheme to tell her my concerns.

It’s embarrassing.

Antisocial behaviour won’t be tolerated in our communities

10/07/2026

I emailed Superintendent Ryan Doyle, Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez and Chief Constable James Vaughan on Monday. I have not yet received a response or even an acknowledgment of my email, as I have asked from them in follow up emails. I appreciate they are busy but this is poor from high ranking people with a team of administrators.

They were able to respond to a journalist quick enough though, with some of the weakest and disinterested answers imaginable.

I’m disappointed at how clear it is they have no interest in helping stop the crime that is plaguing Exmouth. It would have been great to have had some communication with them to find some solutions to the problems the businesses in our town face every day. Sadly, they only respond to public pressure, so this is the route we will have to take.

We will get louder until we are heard and action is taken.

08/07/2026

My thanks to Lewis for getting this article out so quickly and thank you to the 70 Exmouth businesses who co-signed the letter. We won’t be ignored, we will get louder and louder until Devon and Cornwall Police supply Exmouth Police with the resources to stop criminals bullying our local economy.

Exmouth businesses have united behind an urgent call for increased neighbourhood policing, warning that rising antisocial behaviour, intimidation…

07/07/2026

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Online link in the bio.

05/07/2026

🚨 Exmouth businesses 🚨

Following increased levels of anti social behaviour and theft faced by Exmouth businesses, I am writing to Devon and Cornwall Police to urgently address this issue.

This is not a criticism of Exmouth Police, they are badly under resourced for the area they cover. Devon and Cornwall Police must provide more resources to combat the horrific criminal behaviour that our businesses face.

Our local economy should be thriving, not physically threatened and stolen from.

More than 60 businesses have co-signed this letter and if you wish to do the same, please either comment below or message me privately, with your name, position and business name.

Thank you,

Cllr Dan Wilson